Genius, artist, monstre sacré, Orson Welles had one of the most brilliant and tempestuous careers in show business. Here he confides his most intimate feelings and recollections of his extraordinary life. With remarkable detail and intimacy, Barbara Leaming reveals the private Welles: from child prodigy and young lion in Dublin and New York, to the succès de scandale of his The War of the Worlds broadcast; from his auspicious directing debut with the legendary Citizen Kane in his twenties, to the sabotage of his further directing career by the Hollywood studios; from his affairs, carousing, and stormy marriage to Rita Hayworth, to his association with Roosevelt and aspirations to the presidency. It is a picture with an all-star cast, including Olivier, Monroe, Dietrich, Garbo, Warren Beatty, Charlie Chaplin, Princess Margaret, and Prince Aly Khan.

Based on painstaking research and extensive interviews with Welles, this is a firsthand portrait of the flamboyant American genius who became a titanic figure in twentieth-century popular culture.

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Quotes & Awards

“A biography that splendidly evokes a good deal of the man, his work, and his time…Here is a man of appetites, of supreme self-confidence, and deep insecurities. But above all here is the man.”

New York Times Book Review

“[A] beautifully researched, valuable study of one of America’s most influential and mysterious artists…[What] makes this book remarkable is Welles’ own contribution. His comments, opinions, interviews cut in and out of the narrative with an almost cinematic force.”

Patricia Bosworth

“[The] next best thing to a Welles autobiography…An entertaining read that unfolds like a good novel.”

Amazon.com, editorial review

“A distinguished gift to American arts and letters, Leaming’s biography is the serious, affectionate big book that hungry Wellesians have awaited for decades.”

Kirkus

Listener Opinions

by Derek Baldwin | 1/11/2013

" Engrossing if relatively uncritical biography of the great man. It pulls off the trick of managing to still have things to say about the many years after Orson had already peaked. "

by Kek-w Kek-w | 3/10/2012

" Awesome Orson - he's one of my heroes anyway (this is not the first biography of his I've read and certainly won't be the last!), but this one was enlivened by his own willing (and witty) participation. Well-written and engaging. Orson's life remains unique and inspirational. "

by Kek-w | 2/23/2011

" Awesome Orson - he's one of my heroes anyway (this is not the first biography of his I've read and certainly won't be the last!), but this one was enlivened by his own willing (and witty) participation. Well-written and engaging. Orson's life remains unique and inspirational.
"

by Francesca | 8/31/2009

" Amazing book about a brilliant artist that humanizes the towering myth. Lots of gossip and humorous details. Highly recommended!

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